Gloom

In Gloom, you assume control of the fate of an eccentric family of misfits and misanthropes.

This card game immediately stands out from the pack (boom tish!) by having transparent cards; an ingenious idea that is then carried through to the game mechanics of covering up and revealing point scores on cards placed on top of one another. The Edward Gorey-esque theme is a lot of fun, though he doesn’t actually get a mention. This rules summary and card inventory covers the first edition game and the four expansions Unhappy Homes, Unwelcome Guests, Unfortunate Expeditions, and Unquiet Dead.

Update Log

Date Version Changelog
Oct 2018 2.3 Added card list for Unquiet Dead expansion
Jul 2014 2.2 Was Wondrously Well Wed title fixed
May 2010 2.1 Original release
May 2010 2 Two modifiers added
? 1 Original release

4 Comments

  • Chris says:

    There’s a new expansion out for quite a while (Unquiet Dead), will this be updated at any point?

    • Universal Head says:

      I can’t just at the moment I’m afraid—it seems the new rules aren’t available online, and I have no plans to buy the expansion as my copy of Gloom is in storage. How depressing! 😉

  • Matt says:

    Question

    The modifier card that gives a -10 and says something like if the character has a negative score you may play an addition kill card. Does that effect take into account the minus 10 that it is giving or does the character it’s being placed on need to already have a negative score for it to take affect.

    • Please ask your question on Boardgamegeek.com; there’s a far larger community of people there and I’m sure someone more up to date with the game will be able to answer your question. I haven’t played it for many years!

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